Zooey Deschanel to Star in Medieval Stoner Movie

After a dreadful week of film news (consisting of a Baywatch movie and rumors of an Inglorious Bastards prequel), Friday is poised to make up for the drought with some excellent newsbits. Here it goes:

1. Medieval Stoner Movie to Feature Zooey Deschanel: This new film by Ben Best and Danny McBride (Pineapple Express) is titled, appropriately, Your Highness. James Franco plays the heroic brother of a lazy prince (McBride) and Deschanel acts as Franco’s virginal sister. Zooey is the only movie star so cute that many would be disgruntled to find out that she’s not a virgin. [via THR]

2. Mel Gibson Believes Puppets are Real: Or at least in the film he is set to direct and co-star alongside Jodie Foster in. After a three year acting hiatus, Gibson will make his return in The Beaver, the story of a man who “finds solace in a beaver puppet.” Who ever said this man was crazy? [via MTV]

3. Revenge of the Nerdy Girlfriends: This year’s San Diego Comic Convention, affectionately referred to as “Comic-Con,” will feature a Twilight panel, making the event a nightmare for “normal people” ie., men. [via io9]

5. ’80s Pop Culture Strikes Back: Since you weren’t excited to hear that the Scooby Doo director is now leading the Smurfs Movie (Papa Smurf will spank you later), we are happy to report that the new live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will involve the foot clan, and Tron 2 has a plot. [via /Film]